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The Click

April 22nd - April 28th

by Brian Hanson, Apr 22nd 2006

Before we begin this week's edition of “The Click,” I'd like to share with you all a letter I wrote to some very important people in response to the list of unaired anime I published in last week's column.

“Dear [name withheld],

To begin with, thank you in advance should this letter find its way into your hands and hopefully those of your superiors at the [withheld] Network. I was worried that my admittedly poorly-planned single person letter writing campaign to produce another season of 'The Snorks' episodes would send any further letters under my name directly to the shredder. Which is exactly where all those letters ended up. But I'm not upset!

Instead, I'm very disappointed in your decision to pass on airing the wonderful 'shojo' comedy anime Kodocha, but after contacting one 'kaibafan_1992' (a pleasant but grammatically-challenged chap I met on an internet forum, who assures me he has several contacts within Funimation's 'inner circle' so to speak), I'm pleased to present to you a totally reworked and revamped version of Kodocha that I think you'll be thrilled with. Here's why!

First, I gathered together a focus group consisting of my cat and a local hobo, whom fully represent both the traditional kids 6-11 and 9-14 demographics, as well as the burgeoning and disposable income-heavy demographic of 'tweens' and teens 12-47 that are infected with cholera. The tests went literally through the roof, which caused major structural damage and is probably due to the complimentary bottle of Wild Turkey and can of Friskies offered to the group.

Additional changes to the series include a type of 'Battle Monsters' subplot that features heavily in every episode, where characters challenge each other to a collectible card game where the cards are actually monsters that are robots, and the robots 'transform' into such action-packed forms as armoires and ottomans. I am also in contact with hip-hop artists such as Gangsta Murder and others for the soundtrack.

Furthermore, production is starting on an entire line of Kodocha merchandise. A line of collectible handmade wax figurines and car mufflers have already been produced. The car mufflers unfortunately seem to cause somewhat fatal incineration, but we have our Quality Assurance team (the aforementioned hobo) working on that.

I'm looking forward to any additional input/notes/million dollar cash advances you may have toward this revolutionary, surefire success!

Sincerely,
Brian Hanson of 'Lord Awesome of Sextopia Productions'”

With any luck, we'll be seeing Kodocha on American television yet! Now for what's new this week:

Those of you with sharp eyes may have noticed that the previous episode of Naruto had some, shall we say, rough spots in regards to the animation quality. In other words, it sucked. Odd, off-model characters and jerky, arrhythmically animation abounded. Not so in this episode, however, as Sasuke's fiery battle with a certain serpentine ninja in the Forest of Death is rendered in lush, flowing detail. Why Studio Pierrot sent only a small fraction of the workload to the animation team that handled this episode is beyond me.

If slick ninja fightin' isn't exactly your thing, take a look at what else propagates your TV this week:

On a very special Case Closed, Conan falls in with a rough street gang known as the “Junior Detective League,” whom embark on especially troublesome pre-adolescent activities such as crime solving and treasure hunting, with disastrous results. Parents, make your kids watch this episode! You'll be glad you did.

Okay, I'll admit it, I smirked a bit when I read the episode notes that one of the opponents the intrepid gang of Duel-ers challenges in this episode is named “Your Mama.” Whether that signifies any comedic improvements in regards to the show, or simply my own immaturity, I'll leave up to you.

After Eureka and her sky-surfing mech “Nirvash” stir up trouble with the armed forces, Renton, being the adolescent, plucky protagonist of this series, recklessly sets off to her rescue. Yes, the premise of this series is still ridiculously silly, but it is good! I swear.

During a routine mine inspection, Ed and Al undo a crooked Lieutenant's scheme to bleed a small mining down dry through taxation. Sadly, the boys don't begin advocating a Marxist revolution; rather, they use their alchemy to show the Lieutenant the folly of his ways.

Bateau, The Major, and the rest of Section 9 remains hot on the heels of a refugee group with ties to Kuze, the terrorist wünderkind – that is, until they escape. Nevermind the socio-political ramifications of this, what an embarrassment! Hence the title.

“Ino-Shika-Cho” is a reference to a high-scoring card combination in the 19th century Japanese card game known as Hanafuda. Thanks, wikipedia! Historical references aside, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji defend Sakura against the Sound Village ninja, but can their teamwork win out against their bloodlust? That is a question that can only be answered by watching the episode.

By now, I'm certain everybody knows the formula to any given Pokemon episode, so is it okay if I just phone this one in? Something like, “this week, Ash and his Pokemon prove themselves against a tough new rival! And what about the scheming Team Rocket?” For accuracy's sake, though, this week's “powerful new rival” is named “Noland.”

After handily making short work of a villainous feudal lord's assassins, Kambei and Gorobei face a new threat – said feudal lord's personal samurai bodyguards. More anachronistic sci-fi samurai fun!

Sonic X
(4KidsTV)-Saturday April 22 10:00am - Episode "The Light in the Darkness"

I forgot to mention this last week, but thanks to one of our intrepid forum-goers, I finally learned that the reason notes and synopses for these new Sonic X episodes are scarce is due to the fact that these episodes haven't previously aired anywhere outside of Europe, I think. So, aside from the wild speculation that Sonic and Tails and his anthropomorphic pals are sure to be animated and doing things, my guess is as good as yours.

Sylvia, the Princess Peach to Viewtiful Joe's Mario, manages to escape the evil clutches of Jadow and joins Joe and Co. in their trek across Movieworld. Er, Movieland. Actually, it's been forever since I played the games, so I'm lost in that respect.

The “Duel of Darkness” continues, as does the eventual Cometh-ing of the Dark One, in Part 3 of this five-part episode. Yu-Gi-Oh is slowly sauntering towards its series finale, which is likely to cause jubilation in many and sadness in not-quite-as-many.

Yet more exclamatory dialog, ridiculous exposition, and finger-pointing characters lie in Yu-Gi-Oh GX, as “Zane” duels in a “Shadow Game” against “Camula.” The quotation marks are necessary, as the Yu-Gi-Oh nomenclature is still quite unfamiliar to me.

Hope counts down the best moments where Yoko Kanno brought her A-game to Cowboy Bebop. Plus: your poll results, and vote for your favorite Bebop episodes!― 3 2 1, Let's Jam! It's time for a Cowboy Bebop themed episode of The Set List. This week, I've ranked my Top 10 Musical Moments from the legendary jazz-and-blues inspired anime, and you can check them out in the video below! (Please note that we...

PONYCAN USA launched a few months back with two shows: Denki-Gai and Yuki Yuna is a Hero. Executive Director Kazuyoshi Fukuba answers a few questions about what to expect, and what's up with those prices.― PONYCAN USA is the newly-minted US distribution arm of Pony Canyon, which has been in the Japanese media business since 1966. PONYCAN USA follows the example set by Aniplex of America, in that th...

Shinichiro Watanabe's zany sci-fi showcase for his artist pals winds up on bluray today, loaded with special features in a limited edition with a hefty price tag. Mike Toole investigates.― Space Dandy is a series full of magic-- a magic that first reveals itself late in episode 1, during a sequence in which the show's titular hero and his new pal, Meow, are forced to run away from a pack of jumbo-si...

Find out if you won!― Thank you (again) for entering our contest (again). Winners: Patrick Nakasone, Honolulu, Hi Hiddi Jordan, Bailey, Mi Saul Diaz, Arleta, Ca Watch for our next give-away coming SOON! In the meantime, head over to SpaceDandy.com to find out more about FUNimation's awesome Space Dandy sets.

This little-seen family adventure about a group of tanuki living in Kyoto has careful writing and beautiful scenery; Nick Creamer thinks it might just be a modern classic.― In the guidebook accompanying Eccentric Family, series composer Shotaro Suga speaks frankly of the difficulty of condensing an entire book into an anime, and the question of where to even begin telling the story. “There are just ...

Every good fantasy series has a few incredible elf ladies on display. Today, Lynzee decides to finally share the elf.― The term "bombshell" was coined, very appropriately, during World War II to refer to the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, and other sex symbols of the era. There aren't any elves in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but there are plenty of wild, voluptuous fantasy women wielding swor...

Deadman Wonderland is a dark, unsettling look into a private prison abusing the system for the whims of the Warden and a few governmental higher ups.― Ever since 1864, a “wonderland” has been a world where the rules of logic do not apply, a carnival that can be by turns fun and frightening. Deadman Wonderland has been playing with that definition since its first volume, and now in its seventh we beg...